The Picture

There’s one picture I will always remember. It hangs on our downstairs bathroom wall. It’s the one picture that will always catch my eye. It’s of a lighthouse on a low beach and the sun rising. The water is calm and contained. There are two sailboats on the horizon with seagulls flying over their heads. You can see the broken wooden posts marking where the land ends and you can see a path to the water disappear behind it. The lighthouse is silent, the area is silent. All is at peace as mother nature is lighting the world, so she can boast about the beauty she had created.

As I stared into the painting I saw that it looked too real, so I pulled it off the wall for closer inspection. Ah, that explains it, I thought to myself as I ran my finger across the painting. There were lumps of paint silently explaining the depth of the picture. Staring into the picture I felt as if I was sucked into it. I touched the sky then, felt the coolness of the morning water. I smelled the salty ocean air. I felt the tall grass tickle my legs, the pebbles crunch under my feet.

I was thinking about what I was going to have for a snack after putting the painting back up so I grabbed for the painting in my lap but it wasn’t there and I panicked. I whipped around quickly and saw that I wasn’t in my bathroom anymore, I was in the PICTURE! I couldn’t believe it. At first I was scared then amazed. I was inside a work of art, able to experience it as if it was real.

To make due with my immediate predicament I decided to swim in the ocean. I ran on the path that lead behind the wooden posts. I stripped myself of my clothes and hopped in. “AHH!” I screamed out loud, the water was cold. After an hour I heard footsteps so I pulled my clothes on quickly. I slowly peeked over a pile of rocks and saw that the footsteps were made by a young boy. The boy saw me and smiled. I walked over to him and he said, “Hi thewe miss! Have you seen a bwown dog?” The boy couldn’t get his R’s correctly, obviously. I said, “I’m sorry, no. Need help looking?” The boy replied with a smile, “That’s a vewy nice offa miss, but no thank you.” “Ok,” I replied with a sniffle, “But I’ve nothing to do.” The boy grabbed my arm and pulled me into the woods, “Then come hewe! To town.” I coughed as something flung itself down my throat.

“My bwotha will find you something to do!” explained the boy. I asked, “Your brother?” “Oh yes! My bwotha is about ya age. That’s why I’m taking yeh hewe!” I thought to myself, Oh dear how will I ever get out now, a boy leading me somewhere and then who knows what else is going to happen.